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February 3
1800s *1886 - Albert Spalding begins a sporting goods company with $800. He will become the manufacturer of the first official baseball as well as the tennis ball, basketball, golf ball, and football. 1900s-1930s *1900 - Rival forces fight for control of the Union Park Ball Grounds in Baltimore. John McGraw's men camp around a fire at third base. Ned Hanlon, his former manager in Baltimore in the 1890s, now manager of Brooklyn and still president of the Baltimore club in the National League, has forces camped around first base. *1920 - A meeting in Kansas City results in the birth of the Negro National League. Chicago American Giants owner Rube Foster spearheads the formation of the league, which will consist of eight franchises: Chicago Giants, Cuban Stars, Dayton Marcos, Detroit Stars, Indianapolis ABCs, Kansas City American Giants, Kansas City Monarchs and St. Louis Giants. *1934 - The St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis Browns decide to cease broadcasting home games. The teams hope the move will result in better attendance at their ballparks. 1940s-1970s *1942 - Major League owners hold a meeting to discuss regulations to be used during World War II. The owners decide to have each team play 14 night games, except for the Washington Senators, which will be permitted 21 games under the lights at Griffith Stadium. Two All-Star Games will be played, one with a military All-Star team. Curfews are set for night games with no inning to start after 12:50 A.M. *1965 - Milwaukee Braves officials propose a $500,000 payment to county officials if the club's lease to play in Milwaukee can be terminated a year early. The offer is refused. *1975 - Billy Herman, Earl Averill and Bucky Harris are selected for the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Herman was a ten-time All-Star second baseman who batted .304 in 15 seasons and played in four World Series. Averill batted .299 or better in nine of his first ten seasons and finished as a .318 career hitter. Harris managed the Senators to two pennants in his first two seasons as a player-manager and was a career .274 hitter. *1977 - The Special Committee on the Negro Leagues Martín Dihigo and shortstop John Lloyd to the Hall of Fame. Dihigo, a dominant pitcher born in Cuba, also was a catcher, infielder and outfielder from 1923 to 1945. Lloyd, a standout shortstop and dangerous hitter, played in the Negro Leagues from 1906 to 1932. *1978 - Under the financial reorganization of the club, Steve O'Neill becomes the principal owner of the Cleveland Indians. *1979 The Minnesota Twins trade infielder Rod Carew to the California Angels for outfielder Ken Landreaux and three lesser players. Carew, who hit .333 for the Twins in 1978, will hit .318 for the Angels in 1979. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991. 1980s-1990s *1987 - The Montreal Expos send relief ace Jeff Reardon and catcher Tom Nieto to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for pitcher Neal Heaton, catcher Jeff Reed, and two minor leaguers. Reardon will save 31 games for the Twins in 1987 and help the franchise to its first World Championship. *1998 - The New York Yankees replace recently resigned general manager Bob Watson with Brian Cashman. *1999 - After 16 years of doing local telecasts, the New York Mets do not ask Tim McCarver to return to the broadcast booth. Tom Seaver will replace the highly regarded broadcaster and will assume other duties within the organization. 2000s *2002 - New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada signs a five-year contract with the club. Terms are not announced, but Posada was asking for $7.75 million in arbitration which would make the 30-year-old the second best paid catcher in major league history. *2006: **Miguel Tejada hit a three-run home run to help the Dominican Republic's Licey Tigers rally past Mexico's Mazatlan Reindeers, 10–6, in the Caribbean World Series. In the second game, Marco Scutaro hit a grand slam to propel the Caracas Lions of Venezuela to a 6–1 victory against Puerto Rico’s Carolina Giants. Scutaro and his Caracas teammates are 2-0 in round-robin play. The Dominican Republic is also undefeated after two games, and the two teams square off tomorrow night. **The Boston Red Sox finished up their deal for slick-fielding shortstop Alex González, plugging their last big hole after a major offseason upheaval. González, who spent his first eight major league seasons with the Florida Marlins, will reportedly get a one-year contract worth $3 million. An All-Star in 1999, González also helped the Marlins win the World Series in 2003. He committed 32 errors in the last two seasons (16 each), compared to the 30 committed by Edgar Rentería in his only season with the Red Sox. **The San Francisco Giants renamed their stadium as a result of continuous changes in the corporate world that pay handsomely for sports naming rights, giving the stadium its third identity since the ballpark opened in 2000. The Giants ballpark is changing its name to AT&T Park beginning in March. The stadium was originally called Pacific Bell Park and was later renamed SBC Park. AT-and-T Park is scheduled to host the All-Star Game in 2007. Births *1872 - Lou Criger, catcher (d. 1934) *1885 - Slim Sallee, pitcher (d. 1950) *1888 - Larry MacPhail, Hall of Fame executive (d. 1975) *1903 - Joe Stripp, infielder (d. 1989) *1915 - Buck Ross, pitcher (d. 1978) *1925 - Harry Byrd, pitcher (d. 1985) *1935 - Dick Tracewski, player and manager *1947 - Joe Coleman, All-Star pitcher *1949 - Bake McBride, All-Star outfielder *1952 - Fred Lynn, All-Star outfielder Deaths *1961 - Dana Fillingim, pitcher (b. 1893) *1977 - Chi-Chi Olivo, pitcher (b. 1928)